FishingGeekTX

I find lighter rods easier on the hands, wrist, and arms, personally. I would not want to use more than a MH for routine fishing, heavy only for heavy cover frogs. But whatever work for you...if you have no issues using that rod and you're catching fish...why change? I injured my wrist not too long ago and was able to fish effectively wearing a wrist brace...you can find them at CVS, I got the "maximum" support version (brace on both sides of the wrist and a glove to keep it all in place). I left it on my primary wrist (right) for a day of fishing and had no issues, other than it got a little wet at times. I could cast and reel without issue. I am not a medical doctor and have no idea what condition you have, but just FYI if that's something that might help prevent further injury or make fishing more comfortable, it's completely do-able.

With your two toad tips I feel I can fish a toad properly now. I see that belly bend in that pic (I think). Out of curiosity, what's got you using toads over soft-bodied frogs? I had some hookup issues with toads too...single big EWG is notorious for not being a sure thing. But a pad crasher is cheap, re-used until the paint is gone, and has a nice hookup. Is it the action on reel-in? I think I just threw away that old bike tire that was in the garage for 4 years. Ima tell the wife "see I told you I needed it!". I'm sure that will go over well.

I ended up with e Lews Custom Lite Speed Stick - Magnum Grass. Light-weight, winn-grips, stout but still able to give action to lures, rated for braid. I think I found it for $150ish. I found the Fury to be far too heavy and broomstick to cast/walk frogs all day. felt like I could winch a truck though.

I just put 0.75 oz (or so) on the Diablo and it bends, but felt fine to me, I would not be worried casting that personally. Feels great with 0.5oz, I cast that all day yesterday. It feels stout for a M-rated rod. Most MB IMO in fast action non-crank, feel stout/stiff for their class. Tour Versatile looks nice though too, if I get another OrochiXX it's what I'd pick because it that sweet spot of 7', MH-F. According to their table, you should get the Diablo. If you want something to use for heavier lures, jigs, etc., Tour V., else Diablo IMO. my 2 cents. Tackle Trap has a great MB rep you can ask any questions of. He has used them all I think, regularly compares them.

I was in like middle school when I bought a Dancing Eel. I dreamed about fishing it...I was so sure it was the "the thing" that would catch big bass. I don't think I ever caught a fish on it. Looked kind of cool in the water, I bet someone caught fish on it. Worst lore I recently purchased was in a frenzy to get a bunch of weedless options for some very weed choked lakes I was fishing. One of the lures I ended up with was this WeedRunner(tm). Thing is, if it so much as brushes up against a weed...the weed runner stops running. That spinner just stops on any weeds and needs to be cleaned. Complete fail IMO, unusable for the purposes intended. Surprisingly it was the bladed jig...that's not even weedless, that somehow almost magically cut through weeds that day on a straight retrieve.

I would get Metanium over Antares...Antares is a bigger, heavier reel that is less useful for all around bass fishing IMO for the weight/cost. I had the choice 5x over, and never was interested in Antares personally. I like Lews I have the hypermag and the superduty, but I'm not sold on how the pro TI for extra$$ improves the reel, personally. I like the look, I like the idea of a top-end Lews and it was on my radar for a while, but I just feel it's kind of like high priced rods...you basically get a little more polish/bling and a higher price. Maybe someone that has one can break it down for us, how it's different than other quality Lews reels for less $$. I could say the same about Shimano, but I only have Metanium MGL and Metanium DC. I do like the Met MGLs, very light spool, bomb casts, good line control. DC has similar cast, and better line control, at a slight weight cost and price$$. <- see, there are trade-offs with Shimano marketing in terms of reel performance. I don't see that on the Lews. I think there is a reel loaner program with tacklewarehouse, you could check them all out?

Some missing data: 1. line type 2. line # test 3. cover 4. hook type 5. depth/distance fishing Asking if moving from a 7'1 to a 6'8 rod will dramatically improve your trig hookset, I doubt it. All of the above would likely be much bigger factors.

I wouldn't upgrade, tatula looks like nice rods. You won't notice any difference in sensitivity between decent quality graphite rods. You may prefer a different weight, taper, handle, etc., but if your rods fish well, I'd not change if I had a budget.

Try Cabela's? They have some decent clothing. https://www.cabelas.com/product/MENS-WORLD-WIDE-SPORTSMAN-HYBRID-II-PANTS/2861293.uts?productVariantId=5924604&WT.tsrc=PPC&WT.mc_id=GoogleProductAds&WT.z_mc_id1=02135765&rid=20&ds_rl=1246522&ds_rl=1246585&ds_rl=1246588&ds_rl=1252079&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5LW7v9fB4wIVZZJbCh0_aA_4EAQYASABEgIGjPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Maybe it's a relative thing. Your comment had me doubting, so I put the Helios H-F on my desk flat, handle only (after the trigger so it lays flat), tied a 5 oz weight to it (would never use that obviously, simulates casting whip and gives me a larger test measurement). I then tried a Lews Lite SS MH-F, same rod length/weight/desk, it didn't drop down as far by an inch or two, very noticeably stiffer. I probably prefer a stiffer rod taper, and since there are no standards, it's unfortunately word of mouth on which rods run which end of the spectrum, and some people prefer one over the other.

Things to try: Experiment with slowing down - let it sit on cast, maybe 5-30 seconds, depending on your patience and confidence level - You can slow down your frog retrieve. Jerk, jerk, jerk - pause 4 seconds. If they will hit it on the pause, that sometimes helps them want to eat it, rather than slap it or miss it. And always pause at cover/target areas IMO. Some days they do want it retrieved fast like you were doing (or even faster), not saying that's wrong...it's just that slower can often get a better eat-the-frog hit. Hookset: - when they hit, don't jerk immediately...but quickly check if the fish is on the line, if so, set the hook hard with a strong jerk. You have to drop that rod tip, no slack, and punch it. Pulling hard won't do it in my experience. Has to be a hard, swift jerk. Two big hooks, sometimes with cover in the way, and push that frog body down. Make sure your drag can handle the hookset. - If most hits are not taking the frog, and you think that's bass, you can also try downsizing, and/or a color change. Assuming you also tried slowing down. Line: I'm in the south so I don't know about teethy fish except to use a steel leader. You could try moving up line diameter..65# braid, maybe even 80# (a frog tournament pro uses 80+, it's not crazy), that may save some % of break-offs. Good luck, that water looks delicious for fishing.

Do you have any Powell Endurance? If so, how's the taper/tip? I got an Okuma Helios H-F for the low weight (and great price), but it was whippy. Endurance has a nice 6'8 MH I'm looking at for short range.

I fished all straight shank this weekend, and I hooked all the fish, but one threw the hook on a shake (I had tension and tried to keep him under, but he wasn't having it). I feel that short, straight gap may have been to blame. Any issues with that? Seems like it's all trade-offs. Easier hookset with higher risk of losing it later vs harder hookset vs easier to hold it. So confused ?

Doubtful anyone can answer that for you. If you can hold both, do that. Weight, handle, taper, etc. all play a role. Curado definitely looks like a step up. Cork grips..I'd choose split grip personally, it looks like they have both. Curado also uses Fuji guides and real seat. SLX uses a custom reel seat and ? guides, and has EVA split grips. If I liked the feel of the Curado, I'd get it over SLX for $30. If you plan on fishing for a while, I'd get the best you can budget reasonably.

Unless you're sure your rod isn't performing and the upgrade will perform, if you're on a budget, don't bother. Go to some lake in the area, fish irrelevant, and try it out. You should be able to figure out of the tip works for jerking, and if it feels comfortable. Given similar action/taper/weight, no rod will be 2x better if you're going from $50 to $80. Much of a rod (especially jerkbait) is about how it fishes for you, personally. Does the action/taper match the spec and style you use it for. How heavy is it (and does weight matter much to you). Does it cast well for the lure size you use? The vast majority of "feel" in a rod is because it's a long lever...line hits that rod tip and moves it...just physics. For less expensive rods I tend to just favor weight. I *know* I'll enjoy a lighter combo long term..and if the action/taper feel good fishing, it's a "good rod" IMO.

Probably subjective, unless we established metrics (which are also subjective), and objectively rated them on it. Not really sure 100% why, but I ended up mostly Shimano, no Daiwa. Also seems like most people call it DIE'a-waa, instead of day-waa, just kind of annoys me..like it hasn't tried to fix that Some goofballs of course say you pronounce Daiwa as "Shi-mahn-o". I feel as though when I went to Cabellas, the two times I worked the Daiwa baitcasters, I felt the thumb bar was a little stiff and cheap feeling in comparison. That's purely subjective and I did not necessarily side by side test. But that's why I steered from Daiwa initially. With so many reels to choose from, having a reason to cut that number down that numbers I not usually second-guessed, if you know what I mean. Subjectively, there were a lot more Shimano fan-boys, and having nothing much else to go on, that unfortunately factored in too early on. Later, I hated having to learn the differences in models, it's so absurd. There is no clear cut anything...really in fishing in general, it's all smoke and mirrors and high priced luxury. I learned some Shimano, and I guess I didn't feel like trying to learn Daiwa's secret code of all the model names and what they mean, etc. DC vs MGL for Shimano, it's noticeable. One is lighter and has a lighter spool and casts far. The other is heavier and costs more, heavier spool, but has great spool control and casts similar (as a result of better spool control). Are the Dawia "technology" offerings similar? I'd certainly like to hear a similar write-up from people who like Daiwa over Shimano..gear junkies get bored with things and like to sample other luxury wares I suspect no matter which a person ends up with, the fact that both are quality, reputable companies, likely gives them comfort.

I ordered a big bait monkey package of like 20 items from tacklewarehouse, and it had a powerful, artificial smell when I opened the box. First thing I saw was Sunline Defier boxes, I assumed it was some awful formulation of chemicals they use that gave off this horrible odor, probably getting cancer just smelling it. I put them in quarantine. Next day, smell was still going strong. Turns out it was the Lake Fork Shad...garlic scent. Good gods, they are in a ziplock bag now. Poor sunline, it has no smell but I always look at it funny now. I suppose I have to go buy some fish stinky stuff given everyone that uses it. Fishing outings are too precious to miss out on even one fish

I saw this too I believe while reading through each rod vendor I could find. Either them, or another one. The fee and shipping basically gets you at a new rod cost (almost), but with the hassle of shipping and waiting longer. People should definitely read the warranty for any rod they buy. But whatever fee/shipping for replacement I saw was listed on their website, so it wasn't misrepresented. Lastly, if you have a problem with a vendor, take the problem to them. Be nice, explain your position and try to get them to see your side...and see what they can do. Sometimes for a first time, they will try to make it right even if their corporate policy is more strict. In this way, they can sometimes preserve their reputation, but you may not buy more products...but at least you won't feel cheated, and they get credit for doing right by you. Warranty is tricky, and part of the cost of ownership. My $200 MB Levante rod was replaced no questions first time. I think it's that way within 3 years, but if I kept breaking it I would not be surprised if they said it was due to misuse...which would probably be true. So without a doubt, megabass includes some percentage of customer warranty claims as part of the astronomical cost of their rods. You pay for a warranty in many cases on high end rods, it's not all better materials and such (if it's even better materials at all!).

I have one, good value, nice looking, feels nice.

Regarding Kastking, I think tomorrow is a big Amazon sale day, so you may want to factor that in. You may be able to get a nice % off what are already lower priced rods. They have a crankbait specific. I have no Kastking rods, so I have no idea how they rate.

Just check the warranty is decent and that you like the looks/aesthetics. After that, how it pairs with your reel and fishes, but you can only know what after purchase. I purchase rods lately based on weight, I prefer a stiffer rod (in any taper), and lastly aesthetics/brand at that price range. I also like winn grips at <$200 at the moment for my pond/mud rods that get more dirty than boat rods. If you can find out if you care about weight, relative "stiffness", that's much of the selection right there. Lews has an entire speed stick crankbait series in that price range. St Croix Mojo has a glass crankbait series in that price range. I don't have either of these in crankbait, but I have rods from Lews (speed stick lite with winn grips), and a Mojobass for topwater, both light and nice rods. I originally got a Dobyns 705cb and found it too whippy for me. And I find the Fury's too heavy for my taste, I prefer a lighter rod to fish all day. I think I ended up with a crankbait rod from Fishing 13 that was on clearance, I think they are still $89 at tacklewarehouse on sale. I also got a MB Levante flatside special, both lighter and stiffer (But $200). I haven't fished much CB this year personally, been topwater, and bottom primarily.

Yes, package is a good starting place for size and style. Size especially I suspect. Try this: https://www.bassmaster.com/gear/texas-rig-hook-selection-part-1 Has everything you're looking for I think in the first two pages.

You just described exactly what i experienced last month. Bought sunline, realized it was all too low pound test#, had to send it back. Bought yo-zuri thinking ahah, I need 8lbs diameter so I'll order 8lbs..wrong! It was like original stren..hugely inflated. Had to send that one back too. And immediately after, I pondered break strength vs line diameter as well Sunline says 100% nylon. Sure how they cool/extruded matters..but if they are all production fishing lines, can't be that dramatic of a difference, as you say.

I love it! It's those days that carry people for a season...and really forever. I gotta get out there more to put some of those insane days in my memory banks. And you got some video and nice pics for the archives and to share. All that and no topwater, couldn't ask for much better.

Nice, congrats on the PB! "But officer, look at this great fish!" I'd love to hear more about the fishing details if you'll share. What did you end up doing Or did they just turn on and this giant had to eat what you were throwing?